ECDC publishes annual epidemiological report on gonorrhoea for 2018

On 25 May 2020, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published its gonorrhoea annual epidemiological report for 2018.

A total of 100,673 confirmed cases of gonorrhoea were reported by 28 EU/EEA member states for 2018, with an overall crude notification rate of 26.4 cases per 100,000 of the population. Compared to the previous year, this was an overall increase in the notification rate of 22%.

The rate of reported gonorrhoea infection varies across the EU/EEA, with higher rates reported in northern Europe. Men who have sex with men (MSM) accounted for almost half (48%) of the reported cases.

This report follows the recent publication of the ECDC’s gonococcal antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance in Europe for 2018. This surveillance supports the detection of emerging and increasing antimicrobial resistance and makes data available to inform treatment guidelines.

Source: ECDC, 25 May 2020